Now You're Gone
by LimitedByCreativity
Summary: REPOSTED. "Ada didn’t know how long she lay in the snow, holding Inman’s cold body close. She kept her face buried in his shoulder; wishing she could turn back time. Wishing she could have her Inman back.". ONESHOT about Ada carrying on with her life.


_Disclaimer: I don't own _Cold Mountain

_Okay…I am very new to this Fanfiction, since I only saw the movie for the first time yesterday. :D I was going to do, like, an alternative ending, but I don't think I could get the ending any better then the amazing writers did, so I decided to write a oneshot about Ada after Inman died (which was utterly depressing; I almost cried) and when she had the baby. So, enjoy! _

* * *

Now You're Gone

Ada didn't know how long she lay in the snow, holding Inman's cold body close. She kept her face buried in his shoulder; wishing she could turn back time. Wishing she could have her Inman back. Her face was still wet with tears, although she'd finally run out of any more to cry. She clung to the few memories she had of the man she loved, and she tried to forget the sight of him staggering to the ground, and the blood staining the crisp white snow.

"Ada? _Ada_?!"

Ada raised her head at the sound of Ruby's voice. She blinked groggily. The sky was darkening, and she could make out the figure of Ruby slipping down the slope, Georgia behind her.  
Ruby took in the sight before her, her eyes wide. Ada sat up stiffly, still holding onto Inman.

"Come on, hon. Let's get you away," Ruby whispered soothingly, bending down and putting her hand on Ada's shoulder. Ada protested weakly, fresh tears building in her blue eyes.

Ruby sighed and helped Ada to her unsteady feet. Georgia stood by helplessly; unsure of what to do.

"You'd better find that horse and my daddy, Georgia," Ruby told him, "We gotta bring Inman back now."

Georgia nodded silently and ran back up the slope. Ada let go of Ruby and staggered to a nearby rock, sitting on it.

"I'm sorry, Ada," Ruby said, looking at Inman's body, "I'm so very sorry,"  
Ada didn't respond, wiping furiously at her wet cheeks.

Ruby looked sympathetically at her friend. After four years of waiting, she'd only got one night with the man she loved.

"He'll be with you again one day," Ruby smiled, "Someday,"  
Ada said in a hoarse voice, "This wasn't supposed to end like this."  
Ruby's face fell, "I know,"  
Ada looked up at her young friend, "I love him, so much. I always will,"

Ruby leant on the rock beside her friend and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "I know, Ada. I know he meant the world to you. You always talk about him. You used a picture of him as a bookmark. You—"

"I know, Ruby," Ada sighed, "I got my chance to see him again, and because of me he'd dead,"  
Ruby looked, appalled, at her friend, "You cannot blame yourself, Ada!"  
"But it's true!" Ada cried, "He became a Deserter just to see me again,"  
"Cos he _loved _you! And that was his choice, and he wouldn't want you blaming yourself, okay?" Ruby said. Ada nodded meekly and buried her face in her hands, sobbing violently. Ruby pulled Ada into a comforting embrace, and there they stood until Georgia came back with their horse, ready to take Inman back to Black Cove Farm.

* * *

"Ada! You up?"  
Ada moaned as she heard Ruby's insistent knocking on her bedroom door. Ruby had lain off getting Ada up for four months after the death of Inman, and now she had decided enough was enough.

Ada sat up slowly, looking around the dark room. Ruby was still knocking, and Ada knew she wouldn't grow tired for a while, so she crawled out of her bed and flung open the door.

"Good, you're up!" Ruby beamed.

"You don't expect me to do any work, do you?" Ada asked sharply, eyes narrowed. Ruby looked keenly at her friend; Ada's pretty face was tired and drawn, her eyes sullen and her hair falling limply down her back. Her eyes were red and puffy; she had obviously been crying again.

"Course I don't," Ruby said warily eyeing Ada's abdomen, "You're just the only one in this house who can cook a proper meal, and me, Georgia and my daddy are getting hungry,"  
Ada shook her head, "I can't fathom the idea of cooking right now, Ruby,"  
Ruby scowled, "I don't really care what you can't _'fathom'_, Ada. What's important to me is you getting downstairs and feeding yourself – _and _this one!"  
Here, she pointed an accusing finger at Ada's belly, which was gently swollen with Inman's and her child. Ada put on protective hand on her stomach.

"We're both fine," she said, "What I need is some time alone to mourn the man I love!"  
"Four months ain't enough mourning time?" Ruby asked, "Ada. You're killing yourself. I've had to practically _force-feed _you, and I don't want to see you die. I already helped you bury a brave, and pretty good man, and I refuse to lower you six feet under!"  
Ada's face had paled considerably more, if possible, and she covered her mouth with her hand, muttering an apology to Ruby and racing to the bathroom. Ruby sighed and muttered something under her breath, heading to check if she was alright.

A moment later, Ada came out the bathroom. Instead of heading for her bedroom, she smiled slightly at Ruby and started to walk downstairs. Ruby grinned triumphantly and followed with a spring in her step.

To say Stobrod and Georgia were surprised to see Ada come downstairs, dressed in a baggy nightdress that flowed gently over her stomach, with a floral pattern dressing robe on, was an understatement. They stayed silent as she set about cooking, listening as she began humming to herself. Ruby followed her down, a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

"Mornin', Daddy. Mornin', Georgia," she beamed, sitting down beside Georgia and giving him a kiss. The only time in the last month or so that Ada came out of her room was when Georgia and Ruby got married, and then she was still skinny, therefore not worried about fitting into a dress.

"So, how about we go for a walk after breakfast?" Ruby asked, as Ada set breakfast plates in front of them.

Ada immediately stiffened and shook her head, "I-I can't, Ruby,"  
"Why not?" Georgia asked, dumbly. Ruby shot him an evil glare, and Ada stammered, "I can't fit into my dresses anymore,"  
Georgia went red and ducked his head, while Ruby looked up at her friend, "I made you a dress, Ada. To fit over that growing kid o' yours,"

Ada blushed slightly, "I appreciate that, Ruby, but…I can't be seen like this,"  
"What? Pregnant? That's a natural thing for a woman, sweetie," Ruby chuckled.

"Sure," Ada rolled her eyes, "An unwed, pregnant, daughter-of-a-vicar. That'll raise a few eyebrows,"  
Ruby sighed and got to her feet, helping Ada serve the food, "I know, but you've been the talk to the village for a while, hon. First off, everyone was asking how you were because you looked so depressed at Inman's funeral. Then, they began gossiping,"  
Ada frowned, sitting down, "Oh, boy,"  
"You bet. They knew you were pregnant before you did," Ruby chuckled, as they began to eat.

"I can't go out, Ruby!" Ada insisted, shaking her head, "I'm a mess,"  
"Not even to visit Inman's grave?" Ruby tempted, one eyebrow arched. Ada raised her head, brow furrowed.

"I don't know…"  
Ruby shrugged, "Oh, well. You're going anyway,"

* * *

Ada had never felt so self-conscious as she and Ruby headed towards the village's graveyard. The dress had fitted snugly over Ada's stomach, yet it did nothing to hide it. Ada wore a large sunhat, tied neatly under her chin, in hopes of not being recognized. Unfortunately, as the two walked through the village, she found that everybody recognized her, and everybody stared. She lowered her head, humiliated, and for once managed to keep up with the energetic Ruby, who usually stormed ahead.

By the time they reached the gravesite, Ada was tired and had to stop and catch her breath several times. Ruby ran ahead to find Inman's grace, and Ada followed at a slower pace.

"Here we are, Ada!" Ruby called, standing in front of a large grey stone sticking out from the ground, reading _William Peter Inman _on it. Ada didn't read the rest of it as she suddenly began giggling, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"What's so funny?" Ruby asked, puzzled.

"William Peter Inman…y'know, I claim to love this man, and am having his child, yet I didn't even know his first name," Ada said in a choked voice, "I always called him 'Inman'."  
Ruby nodded, sympathetically as some tears rolled down Ada's face, "I know, Ada. Sometimes, the heart doesn't care what you know or don't know. I mean, I don't even know Georgia's real name; to be honest, I don't need to,"

Ada smiled, wiping the tears from her cheeks, "I didn't need to know Inman's first names either. He'll always be Inman. _My _Inman,"  
Ada sighed and bent down, placing the flowers she'd picked from their garden in front of the gravestone. She turned her torso to look pointedly at Ruby, who was examining her mucky nails. Ruby looked up and saw Ada's face.

"Oh, sorry," she muttered, before heading further down the path. Ada turned back to the gravestone and gave a watery smile.

"Oh, Inman," she whispered, "I can't believe I'm back here again. Waiting on a ghost. Although, this time, I know you're not coming back. I wish it weren't true, but it is,"  
Ada placed her hands on her stomach and let a few more tears roll down her cheeks, "All I have left of you now is this baby. Our child; and I'm gonna raise it with only good stories about you. Although we only knew each other a short while, I loved you and I know you loved me. We had our moments, right?"  
Ada's smiled grew as she remembered something Inman had said, "Our moments…like a little bag of diamonds, remember?"

Ada gently kissed her hand and placed it on the stone, her fingers lingering over his name. She then got to her feet, dusting off the skirt of her dress, and headed in the same direction as Ruby.

Ada refused to be embarrassed anymore. She was pregnant and unmarried; so what? At least she loved the father of her baby, and this child was created out of love and not out of pressure to reproduce. Ada paused a moment, reaching into the pocket of her skirt and pulling out her picture of Inman. It was the only picture she had of him. She traced the lines of his face with her finger, strolling further down the path.

* * *

"Another push, Ms. Monroe! It's almost here!"  
Ada leant forward again, clutching tightly onto Ruby's hand and screaming in agony as another contraction ripped through her entire body. The midwife, Clara, had been keeping an eye on Ada in church when her waters had broken. She had been rushed to her home, along with Ruby. Georgia and Stobrod had been banned from the house until the baby had arrived.

Suddenly, the cries of a baby screaming filled the air. Ada looked up, blue eyes alive with happiness as Clara held up a baby; a little girl.  
"Oh my goodness," Ruby whispered, her own eyes sparkling with tears of joy.

"It's a beautiful baby girl," Clara whispered, as Ruby cut the umbilical cord. Clara cleaned the child up with water, and wrapped her in a blanket, before handing her over to her sobbing mother.

"She's gorgeous," Ada gasped, smiling down at the baby.

"And she's all yours," Ruby cooed, stroking the baby's cheek. Then, she sat up straight.

"I'd, um, better go let the men back in, huh?"  
Ada nodded as Ruby left the room, not taking her eyes of her daughter.

"What're you going to call her?" Clara asked as she began to clean up the room.

"Grace," Ada answered, "Because, by the grace of God, I have a beautiful daughter,"  
"Grace Monroe," Clara grinned.

"No," Ada said suddenly, "Grace Inman. She's an Inman,"  
Clara nodded sadly; "I can see why you want to name her after young W.P. Such a loss,"  
Ada nodded in agreement, "But he'll always be with us, now. In my daughter; and in my heart,"  
Clara smiled at the sweet sight, "Of course. Well, I'd best be letting you get some rest. I'll pop back in later,"  
Clara looked around the room once more, checking the baby's bed was right beside Ada before leaving her. Ada pressed a kiss to Grace's head.

"See this, Inman?" she whispered, looking up, "Our baby girl,"  
And, just for a second, Ada could've sworn she felt his presence by her side, his bright blue eyes taking in his daughter, and his arm around Ada. She could've sworn she heard him whisper, "I'll love you both for eternity. I'll keep my eye on my two girls,"  
And with that, he was gone. Ada smiled. She no longer felt like she couldn't go on without Inman. She knew she would see him again one day, and she knew he would watch over them all. She felt an added sense of security. She kissed Grace's head again.

"Your daddy loves you, Gracie," Ada giggled, "He loves us both,"

* * *

_Wow, that's long 0.o. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this! I know some bits were probably bad, but I'M ONLY HUMAN: )_

_Review!_


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